Improvement in automatic railway-buffers



QSJGHAGB. Automatic Railway-Buffer.

No. 197,248 Patented Nov. 20, I877.

e/fifesf: In ventur- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

G. SUMNER OHACE, OF EAST FREETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN AUTOMATIC RAlLWAY-BUFFERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,248, dated November20, 1877; application filed October 1, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, O. SUMNER (hum, of East Freetown, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and novelAutomatic Railroad Safety-Beam, which invention is fully set forth inthe following specification and accompanying drawing, which is a view,in perspective, of a section of railroad with my automatic safety-beamthrown open, so as to allow the cars to pass.

The object of my invention is to-furnish a safety-beam which willoperate automatically when cars are shunted upon a siding.

In the drawing, H represents a section of railroad, on each side ofwhich are erected the braced posts A A, to one of which is attached thebeam B by the hinge D. The opposite post is furnished with the guide-pina, the spring b, and the lever-catch O. The guidepin a serves to guidethe beam B to and support it in place when closed. The spring 1) servesto hold the lever-catch 0 up when raised, and also to throw the beam Bopen quickly when released by the lever-catch O, which catch extendsalong the rail in the direction shown by the dotted line, and is pivotedto the rail at 0, being furnished with the curved end 07, which risesslightly above the rail, so as to be borne upon by the tread of acar-wheel passing over it.

The beam B is furnished with the blocks 6 e,

which are to bear against the tread of the carwheels, so as to preventthe flange of the wheels from cutting into the beam.

When cars are shunted upon the side track the wheels pass over and pressupon the levercatch at d, which raises the catch 0 from the beam B, whenthe spring b acts upon it to throw it open to its fullest extent, whereit is held by the gravity-catch E.

The posts A A are set at an angle, so that the beam B may be acceleratedby its own gravity in opening.

To close the beam, the gravity-catch E is raised, and the beam B isthrown around against the post A, when it bears against the spring b,which releases the lever-catch 0, when it falls of its own gravity, andcatches over the beam B.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

The hinged beam B, provided with the blocks 0 e, in combination with theposts AA, the lever-catch O, the spring b, and the guidepin a, whenarranged and operating for the purpose herein shown and described,

C. SUMNER OHACE.

